and senator warner continued, "chuck hagel did that as a sergeant in vietnam, and if confirmed, chuck hagel will do it again, this time not before a platoon but before every man and wool and their families in -- every man and woman and their families in the armed services. he said, you will lead them, and they will know in their hearts that we have one of our own," now earlier today, the senate acted in a bipartisan fashion in voting to end the filibuster of this nomination by a very substantial vote. if confirmed, senator hagel would be the first former enlisted man and the first veteran of the vietnam war to serve as secretary of defense. this background gives senator hagel an invaluable perspective, not only with respect to the difficult decisions and recommendations that a secretary of defense must make regarding the use of force and the commitment of u.s. troops overseas, but also with respect to the day-to-day decisions that a secretary must make to ensure that our men and women in unilaterauniform and their famis receive the support and assistance that they need and deserve. ou